Baseball batting trainer

ABSTRACT

The batter training device attaches an ankle strap on the batter&#39;s forward ankle to a weighted sack on the side of home plate opposite to the batter. A cable placed over home plate connects the sack to the ankle strap. As a fast ball is pitched through the strike zone the weight attached to the batter&#39;s ankle inhibits the batter&#39;s involuntary reflex to draw away from the ball and ruin the batter&#39;s swing. Repeating this training with the device enables the batter to overcome or cope with this undesirable involuntary reflex. The weight in the sack, however, is not so great that it will prevent the batter from ducking away from a wild pitch outside of the strike zone in order to avoid injury.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

None

NAMES OF PARTNERS TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

None

REFERENCE TO “SEQUENCE LISTING”

None

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a baseball batter training device forattachment from the batter's forward ankle to a weighted sack on theopposite side of home plate that conditions the batter to overcome anatural reflex to draw away from a fast ball pitched through the strikezone, and the like.

Baseball and softball batter training devices have concentrated ondeveloping the proper stance for a batter to adopt when swinging a batagainst a ball. Other devices have been developed to correct errors inthe batter's stance. For example a device has been proposed to restrainthe batter's rear foot, that is the foot furthest from the pitchingmound, to pivotal movement. Other proposals that are illustrative ofthese devices suggested for training a batter in the proper stance orcorrecting errors in the stance hobble both of the batter's ankles orfurther restrict movement of the batter's rear foot.

Nevertheless, “flinching,” or involuntarily stepping away from a pitchedball coming through the strike zone¹ can ruin what might have been awell-hit ball, or to miss the ball entirely. ¹ The “strike zone” is thearea over home plate, between the batter's knees and armpits, throughwhich the ball must be pitched for a strike to be called by the umpire.

Consequently, there is an unsatisfied need to provide an apparatus thatwill enable a batter to overcome an involuntary reflex to “flinch” orstep back from a fast ball that is coming through the strike zone. Forsafety's sake, however, the apparatus must not prevent the batter frombeing able to duck away from a ball that is outside the strike zone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

These and other unsatisfied needs that have characterized the prior artare fulfilled to a great extent through the practice of the invention.

For example an ankle strap is placed around the batter's forward ankle,that is the ankle closest to the pitcher's mound. The strap is linkedthrough a line placed over home plate to a movable weight on the side ofhome plate opposite the batter.

As a ball is coming through the strike zone the batter's involuntaryreflex acting to draw his forward foot back from the ball is overcome bythe weight attached to the batter's forward ankle. Through practice withthis apparatus the batter eventually overcomes or at least learns tocope with the involuntary reflex that otherwise would cause him toflinch and ruin his swing at the ball.

To prevent injury the batter also must be able to move swiftly in amanner that will avoid being hit by a ball outside of the strike zone.The movable weight, although, sufficient to restraint involuntarymovement of the batter's forward ankle is not so great that it willprevent the batter from employing the voluntary muscular action neededto duck a ball outside of the strike zone.

For a more complete appreciation of the invention, reference may be hadto the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of theinvention when taken with the figure of the drawing. The scope of theinvention, however, is limited only through the claims appended hereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The sole FIGURE of the drawing is a perspective view of the typicalembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

As illustrated in the drawing a typical embodiment of the invention hasa movable weight 10 shown as a canvas sack 11 loaded with sand (notshown in the drawing). The weight of sand in the sack 11 variesaccording to age, size, weight and physical conditioning of a batter 12.It has been found, for example, that for a 9 year old boy about 4 feet 6inches tall, weighing 75 pounds and in good physical condition, for thepurpose of the invention a weight 10 of about twenty pounds issatisfactory. Thus, in this exemplary embodiment of the invention thesack 11 is filled with about twenty pounds of sand.

The sack 11 is opened and closed by nylon strapping and a Dee ring 13,of which Unicorn Stainless, Inc. Item No. S 0139-X540 or Item No. S0139-X525 is preferred. A spring clip and eye 14 (Unicorn Stainless,Inc. Item No. S 0121-0050) couples the Dee ring 13, through a loop 18formed at an end of a line, such as black wire rope cable 16,(preferably ⅛ inch Unicorn Stainless, Inc. Item No. S 0709-0103). Aferrule 15 (preferably a 3/16 inch aluminum cable sleeve ferrule, ForneyCo. Item No. 61038) moreover, clamps the bitter end of the cable 16 tothe body of the cable 16 in order to secure the loop 18. Note that theend of the cable 16 is doubled back on itself to form a loop 18.

The cable 16 is placed over a regulation home plate 17 to a cable end 20which is joined through a loop 19 formed by another ferrule 21 to afurther spring clip and eye 22.

Forward ankle 23 of the batter 12, that is, the ankle 23 that is closestto the pitcher's mound (not shown in the drawing) is restrained throughan ankle restraint or an ankle strap 24 that encircles the ankle 23 ofthe batter 12. A Champion Barbell Nylon Ankle Strap No. 1101263 has beenfound to be quite satisfactory for the purpose of the invention. Acoupling 25 on the ankle strap 24 joins the ankle 23 and the ankle strap24 through the spring clip and eye 22, the loop 19 and the cable 16 tothe weighted sack 11. Note in passing, moreover, that the length of thecable 16 can vary, but should be sufficient to extend from the forwardankle 23 (shown in the drawing on a mat 26 that simulates the customarybatter's box beside the home plate 17) to a short distance beyond thehome plate 17 on the side of the home plate 17 that is opposite to thebatter 12.

In operation, the sack 11 is filled with sand or other suitable materialto a weight appropriate to the physique of the batter 12. The sack 11 isclosed by the Dee ring 13. The cable 16 and the loop 18 are attachedthrough the spring clip 14 to the Dee ring 13. The sack 11 is placed onthe ground, usually in the unused batter's box (not shown in thedrawing) and the central portion of the cable 16 is placed over the homeplate 17. The loop 19 on the cable end 20 is connected through thespring clip 22 to the coupling 25 on the ankle strap 24 and the anklestrap 24 is wrapped around the forward ankle 23 of the batter 12.

The batter 12 assumes a batter's stance and a baseball (not shown in thedrawing) is fast pitched toward the batter's strike zone. Aninexperienced batter 12 (and, perhaps some experienced batters) onseeing the fast ball coming toward the strike zone involuntarilyattempts to draw the forward ankle 23 away from the home plate 17. Theweighted sack 11, however, restrains or impedes this involuntarymuscular reaction and keeps the forward ankle 23 in its proper positionrelative to the home plate 17. After repeated experiences with fastballs, the batter 12 eventually learns to overcome, suppress or copewith this involuntary reflex and thus improve batting technique.

Consider now, a wild pitch in which a fast ball is coming at the batter12 not only low, between the batter's knee 27 and the ankle 23, but also“inside.” In this circumstance an “inside” ball would cross between theedge of the home plate 17 that is closest to the batter 12 and theperson of the batter 12. In this circumstance the batter 12 must duckaway from the ball, voluntarily using his leg muscles to jump or fallbackwards in order to avoid being injured by the ball. Consequently, theweight of the sack and its frictional resistance with the ground mustnot prevent the batter 12 from executing his voluntary reflex in drawinghimself away from the home plate 17. Thus, in accordance with a salientfeature of the invention the movable weight 10 is not only sufficient totrain the batter 12 to overcome the involuntary “flinching” reflex butalso to enable the batter 12 swiftly to drag the sack 11 toward the homeplate 17 and to duck away from the ball in order to avoid injury.

1. A batting trainer for conditioning a batter to overcome aninvoluntary reflex to draw the forward ankle away from a ball in thestrike zone comprising a movable weight, a line for coupling to saidmovable weight, an ankle restraint for the forward ankle, and means forcoupling said ankle restraint to said line and said movable weight toovercome the batter's involuntary reflex to draw the forward ankle awayfrom the ball.
 2. A batting trainer according to claim 1 for enablingthe batter to duck a ball outside of the strike zone wherein saidmovable weight further comprises a weight that enables the batter tovoluntarily exercise muscles and reflexes to move said weight to permitthe batter to duck the ball.
 3. A batting trainer according to claim 1wherein said line coupling further comprises a Dee ring for attachmentto said movable weight, a spring clip for coupling to said Dee ring, aloop on said line for engagement with said spring clip, an anklerestraint, a spring clip for attachment to said ankle restraint andanother loop on said line for engagement with said ankle restraintspring clip.
 4. A batting trainer according to claim 1 wherein saidmovable weight further comprises a sack.
 5. A batting trainer accordingto claim 4 wherein said sack encloses a weight of about twenty pounds.6. A batting trainer for conditioning a batter to overcome aninvoluntarily reflex to draw the forward ankle away from a fast ballpitched through the strike zone and avoid impeding the batter fromducking away from a ball pitched outside of the strike zone comprising:a sack, a twenty pound weight within said sack, strapping and a Dee ringfor selectively closing said sack, a spring clip and eye for selectiveattachment to said Dee ring, a cable having a loop formed in an end ofsaid cable and received in said eye on said spring clip; a ferruleengaging the end of said cable in order to form said loop, an anklestrap for binding the forward ankle, further a loop formed in anotherend of said cable, a ferrule engaging said cable end in order to formsaid further loop, another spring clip and eye, said eye receiving saidfurther loop and said another spring clip selectively coupled to saidankle strap.